Hydraulic ram.



' F; HESSE. HYDRAULIC RAM. APPLICATION FILED APR.18,1907.

936,244. Patented 0011.5,1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

F. HESSE.

HYDRAULIC RAM.

APPLICATION FILED APR.13,1907.

936,244. I Patented 00115, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES. Fig INVENTOR;

(. J-QJLQ.

UNITED STATES ATENT @FFTCE.

FREDERICK HESSE, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, ASSIGNOR TO COLUMBIA STEEL COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, A CORPORATION OF OREGON.

HYDRAULIC RAM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 5, 1909.

Application filed April 13, 1907. Serial No. 368,118.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK Hnssn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Portland, county of Multnomah, and State of Oregon, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hydraulic Rams, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings as constituting a part thereof.

This invention has for its object to place in the hands of an ordinarily intelligent person, having some knowledge of the fundamental principles of a waterram, a simple yet eflicient device, easily and inexpensively installed, requiring but a short drivepipe; easily maintained in good condition and readily adjusted to meet changes in the state of the drive-water; economical in its consumption of drive-water, and having its valve-mechanism so arranged as to minimize the shock and wear of service. To this end my ram is constructed as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 represents a side elevation thereof with parts in section; Fig. 2 is a front view thereof, drawn on a somewhat smaller scale than the preceding figure; Fig. 3 is a plan of the valve seat of the delivery valve; Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section, taken approximately centrally of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a detail of construction.

The letters designate the parts described.

By reference more particularly to Fig. 4, it will be seen that the ram comprises a short body a, made with flanges b, c, to the former of which is bolted a waste-valve seat (Z, having a central opening 6, and to the flange c is bolted a companion-flange f, in which is inserted the drive-pipe g. The body has a vertical enlargement at the waste outlet, and the latter is located in the lower part of said enlargement. The upper part of the body is made with a throat or valveopening 2', controlled by a delivery valve 7', and has integrally formed thereon the lower part of a pressure chamber it, having an outlet is, in which is inserted the deliverypipe Z. On said upper part of the pressure chamber h is mounted a dome m. The delivery-valve j rests on a gridiron web it made with a central eye If (compare Fig. 3) through which extends a bolt-like valve stem 7', on which is a coil-spring 1' the tension of which is adjustable by a nut j to regulate the degree of resistance of the valve j. The

waste-valve opening 6 is controlled by the disk-valve n, which is rigidly connected by its stem or arm 0, to a spindle p, journaled in bearings g, g, integral parts of the valveseat casting (Z. The waste-valve a is controlled by pendulum mechanism comprising the following devices: A rod 1 is pivotally suspended from a bearing 1" projecting from the air chamber m. Integrally formed on the rod 1 is a concaved can1-path r the purpose of which will presently appear. On the lower end of the rod 1' is m0vably fastened a weight 8. A horizontal section of the latter is seen in Fig. 5. It has a vertical aperture to receive the rod 1 and a setscrew 25, the point t of which is reduced so as to be adapted to be inserted in one of a series of perforations provided therefor in the lower end of the rod 0, so as to permit the proper adjustment of the weight 8. Rigidly aflixed to one end of the spindle p is a rockerarm u, in the upper end of which is an adjustable contact point r, resembling a set-screw made with a rounded point. The point 4; impinges against and travels on the cam-path r of the pendulum rod, during the oscillations of the latter. By raising or lowering the pendulum weight 5, the stroke of the waste-valve a is shortened or lengthened in correspondence with the shorter or longer oscillations of the pendulum. By advancing the contact point 11 toward the cam-path r oscillations of greater amplitude are attained, thereby causing a wider opening of the waste-valve, and also a quicker return movement of the pendulum. Such quicker return movement is due to the fact that in forcing the pendulum to an extreme position the drive-water, in the act of closing the wastevalve, has more work to do, and consequently will exert less force in doing so. For in all cases the pendulum swings farther than the movement of the upper end of the rocker-arm a; and thus the smaller the force applied through the rocker-arm against the pendulum the less will be the distance the latter recedes from the bearing-point o of the rockerarm in completing its oscillation.

The operation of my ram is as follows: The drivewater flows through the open waste-valve a until the required velocity is attained, upon which the continued impact of the drive-water againstsaid valve will close the same. \Vhile the waste-valve is closing the rocker-arm, a, moving in the opposite direction, forces the pendulum to one end of its path. On its return swing the pendulum pushes against the rocker-arm and again opens the waste-valve, and one cycle of motion is completed, which thereupon is repeated in synchronism with the continuing oscillations ofthe pendulum. During its flow througn the waste outlet of the ram the water has gathered a certain amount of energy, which, when its flow is suddenly arrested, by the closing of the waste-valve, will exert a suflicient force against. the delivery-valve to overcome the pressure on the top of the latter, lifting said valve and allowing a portion of the water to enter the pressure chamber h and thence into the dome mounted on said pressure chamber 71, compressing the air in the dome. The flow of water into the pressure chamber 71, ceases as soon as equilibrium is established above and below the delivery valve j, at which time the air compressed in the dome m on the pressure chamber 72, will begin to push back the water. But only a small portion of the water having entered the chamber it will flow back through the valve j before the latter closes and arrests further loss. The water which remains in the pressure chamber h, after the delivery-valve j is closed, is forced up through the delivery-pipe Z by the compressed air until equilibrium is restored between the pressure within and without the pressure chamber.

\Vhen a large volume of drive-water is available the pendulum should be so adjusted as to give the waste-valve a longer interval of opening, thus causing the water to reach its maximum speed before closing the waste-valve. This condition permits a maximum quantity of water to be lifted and discharged, through the delivery-valve and pipe Z, and is the proper adjustment of the ram when it is desired to lift a maximum quantity of water without regard to economy in the waste of the drive-water. On the other hand, when only a small volume of water is available the pendulum is to be so adjusted. as to make the opening of the waste-valve as short and quick as possible. This reduces the duration of the flow and the resultant friction of the water in the drive-pipe, causing a greater number of impulses in a given unit of time. By this adjustment a large quantity of water is lifted in proportion to the quantity wasted. The proper adjustment of the pendulum is also essential to enable the ram to meet the conditions of a high or a low head of water. For example, when having to deal with a high head the pendulum weight would be lowered and in case of a low head, said weight would be raised on its rod.

It is to be noted that the bottom of the body a is made with a declivity toward the waste-outlet 0, and that the latter is located close to the bottom of the declivity, whereby the efliuent waste-water is caused to take a downward direction, leaving an air space in the upper portion of the body a. The body of the ram is vertically enlarged or bellshaped in the direction of the waste-valve opening, and the throat 2' of the deliveryvalve constitutes a chamber in which is held a portion of the air admitted through the waste-valve while open; and the air so imprisoned in the throat of the delivery valve will enter the pressure chamber 7L upon the next opening of the former. This construction maintains a constant supply of air in the air-chamber, but eliminates the snifter valve which, because of its necessarily small size, so frequently gets out of order, and then causes the danger due to insufficient air feed to the air-chamber. The body of air held in the chambered throat 2' of the delivery-valve also minimizes the shock to which the latter is subjected, for, obviously, the air so confined acts as a cushion and materially mitigates the impact which the delivery-valve has to sustain when the flow of the drivewater is suddenly arrested by the closing of the waste-valve. It is further to be noted that the construction of the ram-body is designed to provide easy and gradual curves for the diversion of the drivewater from its flow through the waste-valve to the throat of the delivery-valve. The ram-body is furthermore designed to be in accord with the well known law-that the seat of the maximum energy of a moving column of water is at its forward end; and for this reason I have located the deliveryvalve as near as possible to the waste-valve and avoid transmitting the pressure of the impact through a column of dead water. The oblique position of the waste-valve when opened reduces the shock incident to its closing. The are like motion of the valve facilitates its opening, that is, it makes a larger opening for the same length of movement against the now of drive-water; in short, the waste-valve has a sort of semisliding movement. The waste-valve is so suspended that a line connecting the center thereof with the center of its point of suspension or spindle 7)- makes an angle with the vertical line of the face of the valveseat. The greater this angle, the greater the opening of the waste-valve for the same distance of recession of the latter against the flow of the drive-water; but, for practical purposes, such point of suspension is to be located approximately as shown in Fig. at. The degree of the shock which the delivery-valve sustains in the operation of my ram is regulable by the spring i and the latter also enables the adjustment of the delivery-valve to the conditions under which the ram is to be operated.

My ram may be operated with a compara- V ese,244

tively shortlength of drive-pipe, which, obviously, cheapens its installation, since the length of the drive-pipe usually repre sents a considerable part of the expense of installation. The arrangement of the wastevalve is such that it facilitates the renewal of valve packing when required, for the entire wastevalve mechanism may be readilv removed. I,

In case the admission of air be found excessive so as to cause a condition known as air bound the same may be overcome by setting my ram a little lower in the stream of water.

I claim:

1. In a hydraulic ram, the combination of a body made with a. vertical enlargement at the waste outlet, the latter being located in the lower part of said enlargement, a waste valve constituting a closure for said waste outlet, a dome like air chamber located in the roof of said enlargement and directly above said waster orifice, the waster orifice being arranged to provide direct communication from the exterior to said air chamber during the periodic opening of the waste valve, a delivery valve in the roof of said air-chamber, an air dome over said delivery valve, said air-chamber serving to store part of the ainadmitted during each periodic ripening of the waste valve, suspending means for the waste valve adapted to partially lift the latter, when opened, into said air chamber, so as to entirely clear the lower part of said waste orifice and shield the upper part of the latter against the outflowing waste stream, and means adapted to periodically open said wastevalve.

2. In a hydraulic ram, the combination of a body made with a declivity at its waste outlet and arranged to provide a vertical enlargement above said outlet, the latter being located in the lower part of said enlargement, a waste valve constituting a closure for said waste outlet, a dome like air chamber located in the roof of said enlargement and directly above said waste orifice, the waste orifice being arranged to provide direct communication from the exterior to said air chamber during the periodic opening of the waste valve, a delivery valve in the roof of said air chamber, an air dome over said delivery valve, said air chamber serving to store partof the air admitted during each periodic opening of the waste valve, suspending means for the waste valve adapted to partially lift the latter, when opened, into said air chamber, so as to entirely clear the lower part of said waste orifice and shield the upper part of the latter against the outflowing waste stream, and means adapted to periodically open said waste valve.

3. In a hydraulic ram, the combination of a body made with a vertical enlargement at the waste outlet, the latter being located in the lower part of said enlargement, a waste valve constituting a closure for said waste outlet, a dome like air chamber located in the roof of said enlargement and directly above said waste orifice, the waste orifice being arranged to provide direct communication from the exterior to said air chamber during the periodic opening of the waste valve, suspending means for the waste valve adapted to partially lift the latter whenopened, into said air chamber, so as to entirely clear the lower part of the waste orifice and shield the upper part of the same against the outfiowing waste stream, a delivery valve in the roof of said air chamber, an air dome over said delivery valve, said air chamber serving to store part of the air admitted during each periodic opening of the waste valve, and means adapted to periodically open said waste valve.

4. In hydraulic ram, the combination of a body made with a declivity at its waste outlet and arranged to provide a vertical enlargement above said outlet, the latter being located in the lower part of said enlargement, a waste valve constituting a closure for said waste outlet, a dome like air chamber located in the roof of said enlargement and directly above said waste orifice, the waste orifice being arranged to provide direct communication from the exterior to said air chamber during the periodic open ing of the waste valve, suspending means for the waste valve adapted to partially lift the latter by an arc-like movement, when opened, into said air chamber, so as to entirely clear the lower part of the waste orifice and shield the upper part of the latter against the outflowing waste stream, a delivery valve in the roof of said air chamber, an air dome over said delivery valve, said air chamber serving to store part of the air admitted during each periodic opening of the waste valve and means adapted to periodically open said waste valve.

5. In a hydraulic ram, the combination of a body made with a vertical enlargement at the waste outlet, the latter being located in the lower part of said enlargement, a waste valve constituting a closure for said waste outlet, an air-chamber located in the roof of said enlargement and directly above said outlet, a pressure chamber and a delivery valve leading into the same, the throat of said delivery valve being formed in the roof of said air-chamber, a rocker arm on the spindle of the waste valve, a pendulum arranged to impinge against the outer end of said rocker arm and thereby periodically open the waste valve, and means for relatively adjusting the cooperation of the pendulum and rocker arm.

6. In a hydraulic ram, the combination of a body made with a vertical enlargement at the waste outlet, the latter being located in I i said enlargement and directly above said the lower part of said enlargement, a waste valve constituting a closure for said waste outlet, an air-chamber located in the roof of said enlargement and directly above said outlet, suspending means for the waste-valve adapted to cause the same, when opened, to be partially lifted into said air-chamber, above the waste-outlet, whereby the lower part of the waste outlet is entirely cleared, and said waste valve serves as a shield, deflecting the outflowing stream and preventing the same obstructing the air inflow through the upper part of the waste outlet, a pressure chamber and a delivery valve leading into the same, the throat of said delivery valve being formed in the roof of said air-chamber, a rocker arm on the spindle of the waste valve, a pendulum arranged to impinge against the outer end of said rocker arm and thereby periodically open the waste valve, and means for relatively adjusting the cooperation of the pendulum and rocker arm.

7. In a hydraulic ram, the combination of a body made with a vertical enlargement at the waste oulet, the latter being located in the lower part of said enlargement, a waste valve constituting a closure for said waste outlet, an air-chamber located in the roof of said enlargement and directly above said outlet, suspending means for the waste-valve adapted to cause the same, when opened, to be partially lifted into said air-chamber, above the waste-outlet, whereby the lower part of the waste outlet is entirely cleared, and said waste valve serves as a shield, deflecting the 'outflowing stream and preventing the same obstructing the air inflow through the upper part of the waste outlet, at pressure chamber and a delivery valve leading into the same, the throat of said delivery valve being formed in the roof of said air-chamber, a rocker arm on the spindle of the waste valve, a pendulum arranged to impinge against the outer end of said rocker arm and thereby periodically open the waste valve, a concaved cam path on the rod of the pendulum, and a contact point on the extremity of the rocker arm impinging upon said cam path.

8. In a hydraulic ram, the combination of a body made with a vertical enlargement at the waste outlet, the latter being located in the lower part of said enlargement, a waste valve constituting a closure for said waste outlet, an airchamber located in the roof of outlet, suspending means for the waste-valve adapted to cause the same, when opened, to be partially lifted into said air-chamber, above the waste-outlet-, whereby the lower part of the waste outlet is entirely cleared, and said waste valve serves as a shield, defleeting the outfiowing stream and preventing the same obstructing the air inflow through the upper part of the waste outlet, a pressure chamber and a delivery valve leading into the same, the throat of said delivery valve being formed in the roof of said air-chamber, a rocker arm on the spindle of the waste valve, a pendulum arranged to impinge against the outer end of said rocker arm and thereby periodically open the waste valve, said pendulum comprising a movable weight, a concaved cam path on the rod of the pendulum, and av contact point on the extremity of the rocker arm impinging upon said cam path.

9. In a hydraulic ram, the combination of a body made with a vertical enlargement atthe waste outlet, the latter being located in the lower part of said enlargement, a waste valve constituting a closure for said waste out-let, an air-chamber located in the roof of said enlargement and directly above said outlet, suspending means for the waste valve adapted to cause the same, when opened, to be partially lifted into said air-chamber, above the waste outlet, whereby the lower part of the waste outlet is entirely cleared, and said waste valve serves as a shield, deflecting the outflowing stream and preventing the same obstructing the air inflow through the upper part of the waste outlet, a pressure chamber and a delivery valve leading into the same, the throat of said delivery valve being formed in the roof of said air-chamber, a rocker arm on the spindle of the waste valve, a pendulum arranged to impinge against the outer end of said rocker arm and thereby periodically open the waste valve, said pendulum comprising a movable weight, a concaved cam path on the rod of the pendulum, and an adjustable contact point on the extremity of the rocker arm impinging upon said cam path.

FREDERICK HESSE.

Vitnesses T. J. GnIsLnR, CnoiL LONG. 

